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In light of this I am wondering whether Elizabeth's twins Alice and James were the result of a brief relationship (perhaps with a Mr van Buren??) after the death of her husband John Portway in 1880 and before she got together with James Granby (later aka Portway). Alternatively James may have been their natural father despite their being described as his stepchildren in the 1891 census.

James Granby appears on electoral registers at 85 Mandeville St, Hackney, 1890-1895. He is a bit mysterious other than that. Perhaps he was a man of many aliases.

Looking at the possible paternity of Elizabeth's twins, I note that there was a Van Buren family in Hackney at the relevant time headed in 1871 by George van Buren (45 b Cheltenham) and his wife Sarah nee Parkes. (RG10/324/61/44).

One of their sons was Cornelius Martinus van Bu(u)ren born 28 Sep 1854 in Islington. He married Fanny Sleep in Plymouth in 1876, and by 1881 they were at 9 Poole Rd, Hackney. Cornelius is recorded in 1881 as a fish buyer.

He then disappears. Did he father Elizabeth Portway's twins and then die or do a runner - or is he the same person we later see with Elizabeth as James Granby and James Portway?

Thank you for your last reply. It is possible that we are cousins through Emma Lucy RICE.

I would like to compare my notes with information that you may know. When you send one more message to this forum, it then allows us to use the personal message system so we can also send messages privately off this site.

I have I think Emma's birth date and death year and I have two birth years for JC.

I think that Emma had three sons. F RICE is query her eldest. I do not have much information on him. He is with his mother in 1911 and 1939 if I have the correct F RICE. I have not been able to trace him, so I was interested that he was to be in Australia.

Some members of my RICE family go to Australia prior to 1914 and do not have any children. They would have been 2nd cousins to Emma RICE.

Do you have any information on Emma's Family? Her parents and her brothers and sisters? I am still looking for her younger brother William G RICE born 1881.

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